This invention relates to a portable tar melting kettle assembly, and is more particular directed to a kettle or pot and a melting stand for the kettle which permits rapid melting or softening of small amounts of asphalt, rubberized roofing tar or similar materials, using a commonly available driveway or roof torch as a flame source.
Tar is often employed for asphalt surfaces such as driveways, or for roofs, especially flat roofs. Workers often require small amounts, i.e., up to five gallons of melted or softened tar, for filling cracks or sealing joints in the asphalt surface.
Tar melting kettles now available are large and expensive pieces of equipment intended for melting large quantities of tar. These devices are not hand portable, and require a truck for towing them from place to place and a crane for lifting them to a roof for roofing work. Typical tar melting kettles are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,033,328; 4,905,663; 4,781,171; 4,416,614; and 3,995,616.
For smaller quantities of liquid tar a worker typically melts chunks of tar in a five gallon bucket using open flame from a propane roofing torch or driveway torch. It requires about a half-hour to an hour to melt a quantity of tar with this method, and the worker has to devote his or her complete attention to the task. Also, the use of open flame poses safety risks.
The roofing and paving trades have long sought, without success, a technique for more rapid and more efficient melting of tar or similar products.